


I GUESS

by hellojames



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Flashbacks, Implied/Referenced Suicide, M/M, Missed Opportunity, One-Sided Attraction, Temporary Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-19
Updated: 2018-08-19
Packaged: 2019-06-29 14:46:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,238
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15731589
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hellojames/pseuds/hellojames
Summary: Revali still didn't understand why he was awake. Maybe some shut eye could help?





	I GUESS

**Author's Note:**

> First Fanfiction written, please review so I can learn from my mistakes! Also, I am sorry for my weird obsession with saying "goddess". I am also sorry for any grammar mistakes.

Bored was an understatement for Revali’s predicament. The grand Vah Medoh hovered cockily in the air. Its roars and screeches _dared_ someone to challenge its strength. Ten years quickly sped by since Calamity Ganon made its appearance and Revali currently sat upon the edge of the flying airship. His thoughts were never enough to overcome his want to repeatedly jump off the edge of his once-piloted Divine Beast.

He jumped off many times to escape the lonely prison. Unfortunately he was kept to the beast by the barrier it put up. It mocked him whenever he dropped his body off of the edge once again.

After the humiliating defeat to Windblight Ganon, the Rito champion’s fate was limited to sitting in _his_ Divine Beast for goddess knows how long. He was absolutely devastated when he realized that he would be stuck upon Vah Medoh until someone was able to slay Ganon’s henchman who cursed him to this horribly boring existence.

Thoughts of his friends usually took up his awful amount of freetime. While most of his memories were happy and nostalgic, his thinking sessions usually ended in worry over what had happened to his friends. Judging by how long he had been currently stuck in his own hell, his imagination was limited to the worst possible scenarios. It took him literal years to accept the possibility that the others… hadn’t made it.

He shook his head at his own doubt over his friends abilities. His self confidence faltered when he remembered that even though he proclaimed himself as the best, his friends weren’t at all weaker then himself. He was being ridiculous to ever think that his friends were weaker than him. Overconfidence and snobbishness once ruled his outer appearance. It became so bad to the point of Hyrule outwardly showing backlash to his narcissistic “personality”.

But Revali could never bring himself to stop. Vulnerability was pathetic for a champion; a Rito one especially.

While he stared at the sunrise for what felt like the millionth time, the chirping and whistling of the Rito Village tore him away from his daily thinking session. The days passed like minutes from Revali’s dull and far-flung perspective. He watched the Rito people as they carried on with their usual routines. Marriage ceremonies, birthdays, and even training sessions for flying occurred within the Rito’s routines.

His friends grew older by the minute and soon passed on from protecting the village from Calamity Ganon’s minions. Revali sat on the edge of Vah Medoh and continued to watch his friends children grow up and have their own children. Grief never felt necessary with the years passing so quickly yet so _slowly_. His mind became tired within the next fifty or so years of doing nothing but watching the Rito village change before his very eyes.

Revali couldn’t do it anymore.

It was so boring and depressing for the Rito champion to sit around and do nothing. His friends were obviously gone and he no longer recognized any of the villagers in the Rito Village. What else was there to do then mindlessly sit around? He felt emotionally tired; being physically tired was no longer an option.

He was reminded of his body that was consumed immediately by Windblight Ganon after his downfall. His last memory of being in his own body involved being knocked unconscious. He expected eternal sleep but woke up to this _hell_. The recall of memory had given Revali a realization.

Revali had never tried to sleep before. Not after being killed. His body never needed any food or water so why would sleep be any different?

It was worth a shot.

He decided to do it once he thought everything over. What if he never woke up again? He needed to figure out some issues before he (possibly) ended his… life? Even after fifty years, Revali couldn’t figure out why the hell he was still conscious. The goddesses had probably decided to punish him for his tomfoolery.

For now it was time to sit down and—Revali shuddered—be honest about his emotional state. Jeez, this really was his worst nightmare, wasn’t it.

Existentialism was his first topic to think about but Revali decided to just skip over it entirely. His reasoning for it was that he didn’t want to think about his current situation as hell for his sins during his time of living.

He’d thought about the Rito citizens enough so that was already off of the list.

So the only topic left was… His friends. The champions of Hyrule. The best of the best. Memories took hold of his mindful state and he remembered their conversations during the trek to the mountains. Princess Zelda was searching for other ways (or things) to trigger her powers. It was a tedious trip on foot. The champions were to assist her on her journey to where ever she saw fit and she requested that they take their time to think of other ideas on provoking her powers.

 

 

_Revali looked up towards their destination on their current trek up the mountains. Snow delicately sat among the path and fell softly upon his newly braided feathers. It was Revali’s first major assignment with all of the champions of Hyrule. His previous assignments only ever required the help of another fellow champion; this time all of them were here._

_Mipha of the Zora. Daruk of the Goron. Urbosa of the Gerudo. The Hylian Princess Zelda. And… him._

_Revali remembered when he was first visited by the Princess and her newly assigned knight. Like him, the Princess didn’t seem to keen on the idea of having the chosen Hylian—Link was his name—follow her around for “protection”. The Rito champion could easily protect the princess without Link’s help. Why she needed an escort all of the time wasn’t Revali’s main curiosity though._

_He was being chosen to pilot one of the four Divine Beasts._

_He of all people, the Rito who had worked harder than anyone else to even be recommended, was the King’s final decision for the pilot of the glorious Vah Medoh._

_Revali remembered being so overwhelmed by the honour. Crying in front of the Princess was definitely not an option. But he needed to let out the excitement and energy bursting through his veins somehow. It was time to show the Princess what he was capable of. Perhaps challenging her appointed knight and beating him could work? Yes, that was a good plan._

_The clack of leather-bound and metal-outlined boots caught Revali’s attention from above. No one else in the village wore boots of course. The hero was most definitely standing on his platform as the Princess was occupied with talking to the Elder about boring Hylian issues._

_Perfect timing._

_It was only natural to show off his created ability and make a grand entrance for his first meeting with “the best warrior in the kingdom”. He needed to come off powerful to provoke enough competitive spirit from Link. He needed to impress him too._

_He stretched his wings flamboyantly and used “Revali’s Gale” (as he had named it) to his advantage. It was an extravagant display and Revali could see the little Hylian gaping at his mesmerizing form. Gusts of wind circled him at his highest peak and he landed effortlessly on the railing in front of the Hylian champion._

_“Impressive, I know. Very few can achieve a mastery of the sky,” he trickled his words thoughtfully. This conversation had to be on Link’s mind forever._

_“Yet I have made an art of creating an updraft that allows me to soar.” His wing moved up to emphasize his proudest achievement. Well, second proudest now. Becoming a champion was now in first place._

_Revali hopped from the rail to make his way towards the very man—or boy as he appeared—he was trying to impress (not that he needed to). Was this little Hylian really the great hero of destiny? The chosen one? The master of sword and weaponry? He had to quickly get the upper hand over him._

_“It’s considered to be quite the masterpiece of aerial techniques, even among the Rito.”_

_Revali cockily smirked towards the boy in question and took a stance made to mock someone. “With proper utilization of my superior skills,” he made a fist in the air and accentuated his surefulness, “I see no reason why we couldn’t easily dispense with Ganon.”_

_It was when he got closer to Link that he started to notice some of his more… distinguishable features._

_His long pointy ears, his well built frame, and especially the golden-yellow hair that fell messily around his bright blue eyes. It was oddly… charming._

_“Now then, my ability to explore the firmament is certainly of note…” Revali moved to circle Link but decided against it last minute. The affect would wear off if the boy couldn’t see him so he turned dramatically to get the plan in motion._

_“But let’s not—pardon me for being so blunt—let’s not forget the fact that I am the most skilled archer of all the Rito,” Revali delivered the line perfectly as he thought he would. Surely, this was going to change Link’s opinion on him somehow. But that didn’t matter all that much because Zelda currently bore her gaze down from above towards the two. He had to act fast before she interfered._

_Revali turned and circled around this time. “Yet despite these truths, it seems that I have been tapped to merely assist you,” he pointed his feathered index finger to the Hylian champions chest, “all because you happen to have that little darkness-sealing sword on your back.”_

_Link never made an attempt to respond. In fact, it was hard for Revali to believe that he didn’t seem provoked in the slightest. It was time to finish the set-up._

_“I mean, it’s just… asinine.” Revali glanced somewhat hopefully towards Link._

_“Unless… you think you can prove me wrong?” He quickly moved closely towards the other champion. Link had a strong scent of pine and cedar coming off of him and it was driving Revali crazy. “Maybe we should just settle this one on one?”_

_This conversation needed to end quickly. Link wasn’t showing enough emotion for Revali to know if he was taking the bait! Now would be the best time to deliver the final blow before it became too obvious. He looked to the sky in mock thinking._

_“But where…? Oh, I know!” He thrust his wing out as he used it to turn around dramatically. “How about up there?!” Vah Medoh flew above them as Revali looked back at Link._

_“Oh, you must pardon me. I forgot that you have no way of making it up to that Divine Beast on your own!”_

_Revali felt his chest move deeply with pride, his feathers felt the wind weave itself in and around as he balanced out his wings for Revali’s Gale. He quickly sped into the air and turned back to Link who stood on the platform._

_“Good luck sealing the darkness!”_

_It had been such a good plan back then compared to the annoyance that was being covered in snow. As a Rito, he lived near the vast Hebra mountains; they were famously known for their intense winter climate and shield surfing competitions. So this little blizzard was nothing compared to his own home. But snow was still snow and it was annoying._

_It would have been much easier to simply fly the Princess up to the top like he had requested. With a fierce “no” and an explanation, she put on her snow gear and told them to “make haste”._

_It took one day of walking (something Revali wasn’t used to) to make it to the top of the mountain. By the time they arrived, it was nearing midnight and Princess Zelda wanted nothing more then to pray to the goddesses for good luck and blessings._

_“If I’m not finished… praying… by the time the sun rises, I want you all to meet me at the front gates,” she turned from the statue to the four champions who stood in her wake. The champions nodded and simultaneously answered with an “of course”._

_None of them were dense. They knew that there was no way, under any circumstances, that Link would ever leave her alone. So it was only natural they obey her order. Besides, it wasn’t as if something that bad was going to happen. They would all be fine._

_The campfire was set up quickly and the snow continued to fall. No one felt like sleeping as the Princess dipped into the freezing pond. Concern plastered all over Urbosa’s face, “she’s going to catch a cold if she stays in there too long.”_

_Revali huffed. This was too boring to deal with. He’d rather search the area than listen to their Princess weep over unresponsive powers. He cared for her. But not in the emotionally attached way like Urbosa or Daruk. Not in the sibling way like Mipha._

_Not in the same way for **him**._

_Whatever that way was, Revali ignored it for the time being._

_He walked towards the nearest ledge and jumped off to take flight. Dealing with the others was already too exhausting for his little tolerance of social interaction. Hadn’t he learned anything from when the Elder had wanted to talk to him about “the birds and the bees”? It was awkward considering that he himself was a bird. From then on, he avoided awkward conversations as he decided that he never wanted to talk about feelings again. It was his own fault for ever admitting to having feelings for someone else at his young age._

_Of course nothing beat just flying away from everything in times like this. Everyone was stressed (admittedly he was a little stressed too) and nothing good was going to come out of being miserable the majority of the trip._

_That last sentence hit a little too close to home as Revali realized how much of a hypocrite he was being. Maybe it was time that he started acting like a hero for the good people of Hyrule before they were destroyed under Calamity Ganon’s return._

_Did it seem worth it? No. So he scratched that idea._

_Revali slowly flew around the mountain before landing on the top. The air was definitely colder up here than down there with the others. Revali liked it. With the nippy weather came a comfort from his home, the Rito Village. If he squinted, he could see faint outlines of the Hebra mountains from the top of Mt. Lanayru. They might have just been trees though._

_From the top, Revali could also see the Hylian knight sitting down in front of the pond as the Princess prayed silently. His sword lay across his lap as the other champions sat a few miles away from Link’s resting place._

_‘I should talk to him’ was Revali’s first thought upon seeing his “rivaled” companion yawn against the grey concrete._

_‘This is a stupid idea’ came another one of Revali’s doubts as he swooped down silently to stand in front of the Hylian boy. Link didn’t notice him at first. Goddess, he was obviously tired. Hylians needed more sleep than the Rito as it seemed. Revali hummed as quietly as he could._

_He was such an idiot for coming down to talk to him unexpectedly._

_Link’s attention was immediately on Revali as his fingers twitched slightly in preparation to grab his sword. He must have been paranoid considering that he never took his eyes off of the Princess as she stood in the pond until now._

_Oh goddesses, what was he supposed to say? The two rarely interacted unless prompted to. The chilly wind blew Link’s golden locks across his forehead. The level of beauty that this kid possessed was unbelievable. It was making Revali’s head spin and his heart started slightly increasing. This whole setup was a stupid idea. The boy was looking at him questionably and Revali couldn’t bring himself to say anything._

_A few minutes passed with Revali taking in all of Link’s gorgeous features. Why the goddesses blessed him with the opportunity of meeting what seemed to be the most gorgeous Hylian in Hyrule was beyond him. Besides beauty, Link was incredibly intriguing. His past, his family, his everything was a complete mystery to everyone but the Royal family as it seemed. Revali want to know more about Link. He itched to open his mouth and start asking him questions about **who** Link was. _

_And he almost did it. His beak opened slightly and his words were prepared to be voiced._

_**Just who do you think you are?** _

_Yet he couldn’t bring himself to talk to the Hylian man sitting in front of him._

_So he flew off._

_Without a word, he zipped away from his recent interest and didn’t come back until it was sunrise when the other three Divine Beast pilots had walked down the bottom of the mountain._

_And he refused to acknowledge Link first as he always did._

_He could wait._

 

 

And he did.

But Revali hadn’t gotten a chance to talk to Link about the whole ordeal on the mountain after that. Link hadn’t even glanced his way before Calamity Ganon had emerged and Revali immediately left to Vah Medoh.

And then he was killed in battle.

His last interaction with Link had been just admiring him for a solid three minutes before bailing out on his own feelings and not muttering a single word to him.

It was pathetic.

The sun was setting once again. The Rito champion stared tiredly at the village below. Had he really missed his only chance to figure out how he actually felt about Hyrule’s greatest hero? Things were never black and white unfortunately and Revali wasn’t stupid. He never knew how he felt about Link. The question never brought itself up due to the little time he actually spent with the hero.

Little bits and pieces of their interactions flashed around Revali’s mind. There was some romantic interest at some point he concluded. Not much most definitely. But enough was there to give Revali a mournful feeling.

Link was gone now. His friends were gone now. And soon he would be gone too.

Enough was enough.

The sun had fallen and the sky displayed colours of dark blue and black. Stars twinkled and Revali felt a small relief in his chest. The feeling came with surprise. His spirit was unable to feel anything until this moment of pure satisfaction in his existence ending.

He slowly laid down onto the grass of _his_ Vah Medoh. Faint whirring came from its engines and Revali smiled solemnly.

“Thank you,” he mumbled as he slowly closed his eyes one last time.

Perhaps he meant nothing to Link and Revali just never noticed.

Getting that similar high from over-excitement and childish whims could have blinded Revali from the truth that Link just never cared for him.

Perhaps he and Link could have gotten to know each other if they were given more time.

They could have trained themselves to protect each other from Calamity Ganon’s inevitable return. Revali could have kept him away from death if he was given more time to prepare.

Maybe…

Just maybe…

He did love Link a little more than he thought.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading?


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